Letter: Bill supports biomarker testing
This letter originally ran in the Lincoln Journal Star.
News
Report: Cancer Patients Should Get at Least the Health Benefits Congress Enjoys
July 22, 2009
A new report by ACS CAN and the Georgetown University Health Policy Institute finds the most popular health insurance plan among federal employees offers adequate and affordable care for people with chronic disease, making it a good starting point for defining minimum coverage benefits in health care reform legislation. The Federal Employees Health Benefits Plan (FEHBP) offers a number of options to federal employees and Members of Congress, approximately half of whom elect the Blue Cross Blue Shield standard option (BCBSSO).
The study, A Benchmark for Coverage: How the FEHBP Blue Cross Blue Shield Standard Option Plan Covers Medical Care for Patients with Serious Chronic Condition examines the adequacy and affordability of coverage held by most federal employees to people with serious medical conditions: stage II breast cancer; stage III colon cancer; heart attack; and type I diabetes. Specifically, it describes likely medical needs of patients with these conditions, estimates the out-of-pocket costs for patients covered under this plan, and evaluates plan brochure language for clarity and user-friendliness.
The report finds that benefits covered under the BCBSSO plan are comprehensive, but also finds that the out-of-pocket costs for a cancer patient range from $10,000 for stage II breast cancer to $17,000 for a three year course of colon cancer treatment. While these out-of-pocket costs of the BCBSSO plan are not ideal, the plan still presents a guide to help define minimum adequate coverage as it covers the most important benefits, does not impose arbitrary benefit caps, and offers an overall limit on patient costs.
To read the full report, go to